My 13 Month Old Son Screams

Both my boys did that around the same age...he'll grow out of it. Unfortunatley no suggestions here except maybe to keep talking to him about inside and outside voice.

Hi A. - Not sure if this is a reason for the screaming but my almost 11 mo old is doing the whole screaming thing too lately. I've noticed a cycle with it tho - every time he's getting a new tooth, he seems to raise the volume. I think it's mainly do to irritability. Could your son be possibly getting his 1 yr molars or maybe he already has them. I do remember the same screaming issue with my daughter and her favorite place was in very quiet places (like church) and she loved hearing her scream echo. Ha! The stage didn't last too long but we used the pacifier a lot too.

If he screams tell him it's not ok in a firm voice and then remove yourself from the same room as him. Go lock yourself in your bedroom or the bathroom and show absolutely no emotion to the behavior.

If he does it at the store or restuarant remove him from the building and put him in his carseat and stand outside of the car until he stops and then continue on and go back in the store or restuarant if you can.

My son did the same exact thing only he did it in the kitchen & bathrooms where he could get an echo. The same as your son, he didnt need anything, he was just discovering his voice! I ignored it and after a few weeks he stopped. While I didnt have to deal with him doing it at stores I saw no harm in him doing it at home. He's a little boy discovering his voice and it wasnt bothering anyone but me so I let it go and he quit.

Ohh your son found his voice is changable. It is a normal part of growing up. My granddaughter started this also and I would put my finger on her lip and say quietly "shhh, use your inside voice, screaming hurts my ears" She gets reminded of it whenever she does it. I just ask her to use her inside voice. Outside she can scream and have fun doing it and we don't get after her.

Your youngin' has just discovered that his voice has a volume that he can control =) I know how annoying it can be, especially when they start doing the high-pitch screams! I would try leaving the room or putting him in a different room and tell him he can be by you when he's done screaming.

A.,

This is totally normal and just a phase. He is just realizing that he has volume. My son went through this stage as well. It will soon pass. You may want to try and whisper to him while he is doing it. This is what I did with my son.

Is it "I'm in pain!" scream? Or "Cool, I can be loud!" scream?

Once he gets over the fashination with being loud (around age 14), it will stop.
At this age you can ask him to use an inside voice, but he will too young to understand. Just stay out of places were being quiet is required, like the library, church, fancy resturants, etc.

At home, we found this effective for our 2 year old:
Tell him "you are hassling my ears" put him in his room or crib, and tell him "when you are done screaming, you can come out" Just be consistant and do this everytime, and he should get it. In public, maybe just saying "you are hassling my ears" might be enough after you have done the at home method.

I get this from www.loveandlogic.com - if there is a class in your area, I would recommend it highly.
God Bless!

I remember when my daughter was in her "WHOOP" stage...she would just--I can't really describe it other than--"WHOOP!" very loudly, over and over. This of course made being at the post office (which is echo-y) or the library OR at home very annoying.

However, I do think she was doing it for a reason and I'm glad I didn't make her stop. I believe our little ones develop these types of temporary habits to get them through especially difficult developmental stages in thier lives. I like it that my children are able to cope with life's stresses, even though their methods seem annoying and unnecessary.

I suggest you ride it out. It will not last forever. He found something that feels good to him, and I would guess it is a coping mechanism he's come up with all on his own. Most likely he is coping with Daddy not being in his daily life right now. This is a big deal, because he feels free enough to get in touch with his feelings. He won't do this forever, just until the natural consequences of doing it make it not worth it--or until he just tires of screaming, whichever comes first. Can you imagine what this world would be like right now if more men had been encouraged to get in touch with their feelings at that age?

A., first of all if he is doing it for attention then to give him the attention after he screams, is just training you to give him attention when he asks for it, if you give him the attention he needs before hand the screeming may stop, and also , work on not being embarrassed at your child in public, otherwise they will use that against you too, tell him a strong no, when he does scream, he may also need something and not know how to verbalize it , figure out his needs and give it to him, is he wet when he does this, is he hungry ,does he want to be played with? my one son would scream but would only do it to my mom, cause he was laughed at once, cause it made grandma jump, so he continued to do it and make grandma jump, well it got too much and i had to make him quit, cause it was making grandma too jumpy and it was not good for her, however it was funny to see her jump, but his continuance was not good, so just enjoy life and give your child the needs they have, and dont be afraid to use stern words and make your yes mean yes, and your no mean no, D. s